Our daughter is doing a speech for school and had to incorporate a bunch of keywords including resilience and respect. She asked me what imitation meant. And I said to copy something. She pointed out the dictionary says ‘the action of using someone or something as a model’. But that was in contrast to her idea of being authentic.
It raises an important question. Because having a philosophy or a person as inspiration is one thing. Directly copying that though from a place of not knowing oneself, of a lack of inspiration, is entirely different. And it’s such a fine line. There’s such a homogenous approach now due to social media and digital media. Inspiration has become blatant copying and living someone else’s curated life.
Living authentically means to be aligned with one’s values.
To know oneself deeply.
To take on feedback from the space of knowing ourselves so well that we know whether to take it on, or whether it’s just a projection, is to be authentic.
To swim against the flow of society even if uncomfortable because we won’t sacrifice ourselves is authenticity.
To quieten the fear of what others might think of us means we can live through our authenticity.
The time is now.
Sent with love,
Jac x